ACYA lambasts AXM leaders

April 22, 2018

A CORRESPONDENT

LAKHIMPUR, April 21: The impact of the statements of two Axom Xatra Mahasabha (AXM) members before the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) on the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016, on April 17 has rocked the State politics.

Many indigenous groups and social organizations are still vocal about the controversial stand of ASM president Janardan Devgoswami and secretary Kusum Mahanta regarding the issue. The Anti-Corruption Youth, Assam (ACYA), in Lakhimpur on Saturday, lambasted the duo and strongly opposed their alleged Hindu Bangladeshi-friendly attitude which made them support the controversial bill. "We warn Janardan Devgoswami and Kusum Mahanta to seek apology from the people of Assam. Further, we demand the other leaders of ASM to suspend the general membership of the duo," said Dharma Kanta Gogoi, the State president of the ACYA, at a press meet held at North Lakhimpur Press Club, terming them as ‘political scholars’.

"Assam is not an open field to take the burden of the foreigners classified on the basis of religion. We will never tolerate the initiatives for rehabilitating the foreigners coming to the State after March 24, 1971, whether they are Hindus or Muslims or Christian or Buddhists. We demand the Union Government to scrap the bill," he added further. The organization also expressed its view on increasing rape cases in the State. "The Chief Minister and his government have ended their responsibility by just declaring a toll free number with a view to prevent sexual assault on women. These cases have been increasing as the government has taken no stern action against such criminals. We demand to implement a strict anti-rape act in the State and not to polarize the rapists on their basis of their religion, which is shameful," said the president of the organization stated.

Favouring death penalty for rapists, the organization strongly condemned the reaction of Prime Minister Narendra Modi as expressed in England, BJP MP Kiran Kher and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Aditya Nath regarding rape. The organization said that such lackadaisical statements on a sensitive issue like rape would encourage the criminals.